


Together again (One day soon)

by LandonRichardson



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M, I just love the thought of Danny working on a ranch, I'm Bad At Summaries, M/M, McDanno is end game, Post-Canon, and Steve joining him there, because he needs to heal as well, but Steve will have to work for forgiveness, danny centric, finding their peace together, its going to be a long one, so fluff and angst ahoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27134927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LandonRichardson/pseuds/LandonRichardson
Summary: Following his encounter with Daiyu Mei, Danny's life is turned upside down leaving him alone and unable to return to the job he used to love. Adrift, he finds a lifeline in a ranch which was left to his family by his Uncle and moves out there to run it. Slowly but surely Danny rebuilds the ranch and with it himself and finds himself looking forward to the future again, a future which might end up including a face from the past he thought was lost to him for good. (Post 10x22)
Relationships: Rachel Edwards & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett & Catherine Rollins, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 35
Kudos: 128





	1. Doctor's diagnosis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Indehed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indehed/gifts).



> This story is completely the fault of the H50 writers discord and I blame them all for what follows lol
> 
> This chapter is my first time ever writing Tani so I hope I get her right!
> 
> Enjoy my little slice of madness.

Danny Williams stared blankly at the pale blue wall opposite him, barely noticing the various posters which had been stuck to it as he waited for his Doctor to re-enter the room with his latest test results.

Test results which he had no doubt would be bad because normally the receptionist at the Doctor surgery he frequented would just call him up his cell phone and tell him to pick up his latest prescription from their front desk, this time however she had insisted on booking him in to see Doctor Blake as soon as possible.

Truth be told, Danny had been expecting it, he still hadn’t fully recovered from his encounter with Daiyu Mei or from being shot, yet again, in the chest area, an injury which he knew he had barely survived. It made sense that it would take him longer to bounce back this time and that things he could normally do easily were taking longer to be able to manage, if he could manage them at all. That had been when he realised that his days of being out in the field were at an end and the last thing he wanted was to spend the rest of his career stuck behind a desk doing nothing but paperwork even if he was given a fancy new title to go with it.

Steve McGarrett, Danny’s partner of ten years, had upped and left after only two days of Danny being released from the hospital, flying off to an unknown location with his supposedly ex-girlfriend while the rest of the Five-O taskforce had already proven time and time again that they didn’t need him in their ranks to be able close cases and to get the all-important convictions.

Everything had been blown out of the water leaving him barely able to keep himself afloat and from drowning. He was pretty sure that if it hadn’t of been for his two children then he would have just given up.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting so long Detective Williams” Doctor Blake stated as he stepped back into the room, closing the door behind him.

“I keep telling you Doc to call me Danny, God knows we’ve seen each other enough over the years to drop the formalities.” Danny remarked as he turned to look at him, instantly noting the tenseness around the other man’s eyes which had been lacking at the beginning of the appointment.

Definitely bad news then.

He breathed out silently as the Doctor took the seat in front of him and watched him for a second before he spoke.

“Danny it is then, but only if you call me Bobby.” He replied.

“Bobby Blake, it’s catchy.” Danny couldn’t help but say, his mouth curling up into a half smile when Bobby responded with a roll of his eyes.

“So I’ve been told.” He replied before he turned serious. “Your test results are back and as you’ve probably already guess they aren’t as good as we would have liked to have seen. On a positive note to begin with, the test we did on your lungs have shown no further damage which is good, you shouldn’t have to use an inhaler full time, just keep using the one you have for when an attack is happening. You got it refilled right?” He asked.

“Every six months on the dot as instructed.” Danny assured him, having already learnt the hard way once how important it was to keep it with him.

“Good so that is the positive news, now the bad news. You’re showing sign of nerve damage mainly situated in your shoulder area which given the fact you’ve been shot twice in the same area near enough is hardly a surprise, nerves are delicate things and they once damage they can take a while to heal, the damage you’ve done is extensive and it will limit the amount you can do while it attempts to heal. Obviously there are plenty of things we can do to help you through this and to give the nerves a little push in the right direction.” He explained, clasping his hands together and dropping them in his lap, his eyes not leaving Danny’s face. “Tablets are a given and I’m afraid you’ll probably be on them long term until there’s be a substantial improvement, also Physical therapy is another must if we want the muscle to strengthen, soft exercise as well should become part of your routine and then gradually you can increase it further. I’ll be honest with you Danny, this isn’t going to be easy and it won’t be quick but it is the only way forward, given time, exercise and healing we should have you nearly back to the way you were before you were shot.” He assured him, sounding confident.

Danny nodded slowly at the news, meeting the other man’s dark eyes before speaking.

“But I guess that my days of being a Detective are over right?” He asked bluntly, reading the answer in the other man’s gaze before Bobby answered him.

“Danny, in a situation like this one…”

“Doc” Danny interrupted, holding up one of his hands in a classic stop sign. “Just give it to me straight okay, you’re only going to be confirming out loud what I’ve already figured out myself.” He said kindly, he could imagine that breaking news like this to a patient was just as tough as when Danny had to break the news to a family that a loved one wasn’t coming back. It never got easier.

“If you return to being a Detective, especially one on a high action taskforce like Five-O and you received a blow to the chest or to the shoulder region where the nerves are damaged then there would be no coming back from it. I strongly recommend, however hard it might be, that you put yourself and your health first. I have no doubt at all in my mind that you can still have a long and healthy life but only if you follow the routine that we’re going to put in place for you and by taking care of yourself, something which I know you’re not fantastic at. Your body is giving you a warning here Danny that it can’t take much more and you’ve got to pay heed to it, for your own sake and for your family sake as well and that’s not even me being dramatic, it’s me speaking the truth to you.”

Danny nodded, swallowing hard as the words hit him square in the heart.

His career was over.

“Thanks for being straight with me” Danny remarked after a pause as he shifted carefully towards the edge of the bed which he was seated on.

“I wish it could have been better news for you Danny, I really do.” Bobby said regretfully before he twisted around and picked up something from his desk which he held out to Danny. “Here’s your prescription for your new and current medication. I’ll make a few calls to a few Physical therapists I know and get you slotted in with them, the sooner you see them the better but don’t forget to do light exercise as well, just don’t overdo it, this is going to take time and if you try to rush it then you’ll only end up damaging yourself further.” He told him.

Danny reached out, ignoring the twinge of pain, and took the prescriptions from him, glancing down automatically at it before he looked back at the other man.

“Got it, nice and easy exercise and I’m guessing no drinking on the tablets?” He asked, sighing when Bobby nodded at him.

“Afraid so and don’t let that partner of yours drag you into anything reckless either, I’ve heard enough stories about him to know what he’s like.” Bobby added, the comment feeling like a knife to Danny’s gut even as he chuckled a sound devoid of humour.

“No need to worry about that Bobby, that’s the one thing that won’t happen.” He said, picking up on the own bitterness in his voice as he slowly came up to his feet, ignoring the usual dull pain which always seemed to be with him now and grabbed the walking stick from beside him, another keepsake from the attack on him which he would be using for the near future.

“I’ll contact you with the names of the Physical therapists soon Danny.” Bobby promised him with a smile which Danny returned before he left the room, making his way down the small corridor which led into the large waiting room. He glanced around him absently before a soft smile came to his face as his eyes landed on Tani Rey.

She was sitting in one of the hard backed chairs, her body almost vibrating from tension as she waited, the minute her eyes landing on him she was up out of the seat and hurrying over to him, her hand gently wrapping around his elbow the minute she was close enough to touch him.

“I thought I told you to head back to the office and I would get a taxi to take me home.” He remarked with a raised eyebrow.

“Like I was going to make you pay for a taxi when I was already here with my car, Lou knows where I am and he’s fine with it. I’ll go back to work once you’re settled speaking of which how did it go with the Doctor? Was he happy with you?” She asked as she began herding him towards the door and out into the hot, humid air which was so familiar to him now. He rolled his eyes at the help but allowed her to do it, knowing it brought her a small measure of comfort to think that she was helping him.

Ever since his injury and Steve bailing on him, Tani had remained close to him like a comforting shadow, helping him out without a word of complaint and doing whatever needed to be done. The team had been amazing as well with Lou stepping into the breach and running the team. He had taken care of the awkward business of telling Lincoln Cole, Steve’s apparent chosen successor, that while his help in finding Danny had been appreciated, his services were no longer needed. The others were there constantly as well for Danny which he was thankful for though he felt the most comfortable with Tani.

“He’s happy enough to allow me to leave the surgery so that’s always a good sign, things are no worse then the last time.” Danny told her.

“He’s given you some new tablets though” Tani pointed out with a nod towards the prescription which Danny still held in his hand. “We can pick them up on the way back to Steve’s place, the pharmacy is on the way.” She told him as they came to a stop beside her car.

“On the way back to my place you mean.” He corrected her.

“Danny, you know that…” She began to say, stopping when he spoke over her.

“Look Tani, I have no desire to be in Steve’s place anymore so I want you to take me back to my own house which I own and which is perfectly liveable, if you’re that worried about me then you and Junior can sleep over in the spare room just to make sure that I’m okay but I mean it Tani. It’s time for me to go back to my own place.” He stated, his tone making it clear that it was an order he was making rather than a request, something which she clearly picked up on if the way her lower lip jutted out was any indication for him to go by.

“Fine” She huffed, throwing her free hand into the air. “But I am definitely staying over there tonight.” She warned him, the comment causing him to smile.

“I would expect nothing less from you Babe.” He replied as she reached down and opened the passenger side door for him, ignoring the way he rolled his eyes at the gesture. He slowly lowered himself into the car, grateful for the steady hand on his elbow before he pulled his seatbelt on with a sigh, even after four weeks his various injuries still plagued him.

The journey back to his place went quickly with just a single stop at the pharmacy and soon he found himself on his comfortable couch, a fresh cup of tea on the table that Tani has made him before she had left to go back to work and a blanket thrown over his legs, alone for the first time all day.

He felt surprisingly calm at the knowledge that his career was now at an end, he couldn’t risk being hurt again and he knew it, not if he wanted to remain in his children’s lives for as long as possible but that still left him at a crossroads.

What was he meant to do with his life now?

What was there left for him to do?

He bit his lower lip and picked up his phone from the arm of the couch, scrolling though the contacts until he came to Steve’s name, stopping himself from pressing the connect button at the last moment as he reminded himself that Steve had no time for him anymore. He had made that perfectly clear when he had left and told Danny that the only reason that he had remained in Hawaii for all these years was due to his father. It wasn’t because of Danny or the Ohana they had built together, neither of those had apparently mattered in the end to the other man regardless of what he had said throughout the years.

If he couldn’t stay when Danny had needed him the most then there was little reason to believe that he would care over something like this.

No, it was better, however hard it was, to let Steve go just like he clearly wanted to be.

It would be Danny’s last act of friendship to the man who he had called his best friend and partner for a decade.

He breathed out, moving away from Steve’s number, making a mental note to delete it later on and instead moved down to another name, this time pressing down on the connect button and brought the handset to his ear.

The call rang three times before it was picked up.

“Danny”

“Hey Ma” Danny said warmly as he leaned back against the couch. “How are things at home? You and Pa doing okay?”

“We’re fine Danny, what about you? How are you feeling? How’s the injury?” Clara Williams demanded, sounding worried over the line.

“Its still there” He replied, resisting the urge to shrug knowing it would just cause him unnecessary pain if he tried.

“I would expect that it would be, something like that isn’t just going to up and disappear overnight, this is real life, it’s not some TV show where it miraculously heals, never to be heard of again.” Clara pointed out, the comment making him smile as he felt some of the tension in him ease away at his mother’s voice.

“You would be the one to know, you’re addicted to TV shows.” Danny replied, his smile growing when she made a huffing sound down the phone at him though he noticed she didn’t deny it.

“Don’t try and change the subject on me Daniel, how are you?” She pressed.

“I’m fine Ma, I..” He began to say stopping abrupted when his mother interrupted him

“Daniel, the truth please” Clara told him firmly.

“Fine, I went to the Doctors today and he’s worried about how slowly its taking me to heal and there might be some nerve damage but considering what happened that’s to be expected.” He told her, knowing there was little point in hiding it from her, somehow she always found out.

A brief silence met him which had his squirming in his seat.

“So does that mean that he won’t sign you back onto go back to work yet?” Clara asked.

“Ma” Danny said, falling silent for a moment before he forced himself to continue, speaking the words out loud for the first time. “The Doc isn’t going to sign me back onto work period. He’s pretty much said that I won’t survive another injury so if I want to live then I need to leave Five-0 and leave being a Detective behind me.” He explained.

“Danny” She breathed. “That’s… I mean… how do you feel about that?”

“Surprisingly okay which was a surprise in itself” He admitted. “Things are just different this time around Ma, I don’t feel the same and with Steve being gone and not knowing if he is even coming back to Hawaii I… I couldn’t go back to Five-0 even if the Doc had agreed to it. Too much has changed and it’s time that I changed with it instead of holding onto something which isn’t there anymore.”

“Have you heard from Steven since he left you behind?” Clara asked curiously.

“No, nothing unless you count the text four weeks ago telling me that he had landed safely and would contact me soon. He’s with Catherine so he’s probably too busy enjoying himself and searching for his peace then to be concerned with checking in with anyone.” He said, a cold note coming to his voice.

“I don’t understand what is going on in that boy’s head but I could shake him for leaving you behind.” Clara replied sharply, her pale blue eyes no doubt sparkling angrily as she thought about it.

“That makes two of us Ma but it is what it is. Steve’s moved on and I wish him well, I really do but it’s time for me to do the same and to move on. Steve McGarrett is no longer my concern.” Danny reminded her, ignoring the sharp gnawing pain that accompanied the words.

“You’re right Sweetie, I’m sorry for bringing him up, we need to focus on you now and what you need and what is best for you. Have you given any thought to what you want to do now that your old career is no longer a viable option for you?” She asked, her voice gentle as though she was sensing his pain.

“No…yes… I don’t know.” He responded on a sigh.

“Well which one is it Danny?” Clara asked him, sounding momentarily amused.

“I’ve been doing nothing but thinking about things for the past four weeks and still haven’t come up with any real suggestions” Danny told her. “Rachel wants to take Charlie and move back to the mainland, she’s got nothing which is keeping her here and it turns out that neither do I anymore.”

“Has she indicated where she wants to go?”

“She wants to either go back to England or failing that somewhere on the mainland, I don’t think she minds where we go but she’d prefer, if possible, not to go back to New Jersey, she thinks that we both deserve a complete new start, somewhere no one know who we are and to be honest Ma, I kind of agree with her.”

Clara was silent for a moment, clearly lost in thought so Danny simply listened to the sound of her breathing, finding the sound soothing after the day he had.

“Did the Doctor indicate that you can’t do manual labour?” She asked him suddenly, the question taking him by surprise causing him to frown.

“No, the opposite, he said to keep up with gentle exercises and to slowly build myself up but not to overdo it, why are you asking?” He queried, raising an eyebrow when she didn’t respond to his question straight away, normally she was like him and allergic to the concept of silences.

“Your Uncle Nico passed away a couple of months back.” She told him, making him blink.

“Uncle Nico?” Danny repeated. “Wasn’t he Pa’s older brother?”

“That’s the one, he didn’t have any kids and was never married so he left everything to your Pa in the will.” She explained.

“That’s nice I guess.” Danny said after a brief pause wondering where she was going with this.

“No, its not, its been a complete pain however something good might come out of it after all.” She announced to him. “Now, I’m well aware that what I’m about to say to you might sound insane and I don’t expect you to give an answer straight away either but your Uncle Nico owned a large ranch, we took you over there a couple of times when you were a kid before Matt was born so I doubt you can remember it but it now belongs to your father. How do you feel about moving out to the ranch, doing it up and running it?”

Danny blinked.

“Sorry Ma, I must have misheard you because for a moment there I thought you said that you wanted me to move to…”

“Oklahoma” She supplied into the silence.

“Oklahoma and run a ranch something which I have no experience of doing at all.”

“It would be good for you, just think about it for a moment, no one would know who you were and it would be hard for people to fly out to you meaning that you could get some peace and a chance to recover mentally and physically, you could use your economic degree and finally put it to good use and it would always keep you busy.”

Danny stared at the wall opposite him, his mind racing through the reasons why him running a ranch in a state he had only been to as a child which he couldn’t even remember would be a terrible idea.

“I’d have to talk it over with Rachel first and see what she thinks because I’m not going without Charlie which means I’m not going to go without her either.” He found himself saying.

“Yeah of course, I wouldn’t expect you to, Charlie would love it out there.” Clara said enthusiastically. “I honestly think that it would do you the world of good Danny, it will be a hard life there’s no denying that but your Uncle Nico always said that he found peace doing it and even better is the fact that you wouldn’t be shot at.”

“Doctor Blake will be thrilled by that piece of news.” Danny said dryly.

“As would I and your Pa, we love you Danny, we don’t want anything to happen to you and we both know that you deserve to be happy. Can you honestly tell me that you’ve been happy recently?” She asked him. Danny opened his mouth to answer her when he closed it again, his eyes widening. When was the last time he had felt truly happy and at peace? “That’s what I thought, just have a think about it, it could be the answer to everything you’re searching for.”

“I’ll think about it, I’ve got to go though so we’ll speak soon, love you Ma”

“I love you as well baby boy, keep safe.” Clara responded before she hung up the phone leaving Danny lost in the thoughts whirling around his head.


	2. So long, farewell…

“Are you sure that you want to go ahead with doing this Danny because there is still time for you to change your mind if you want to. You can stay at Five-0 and just not head out to the crime scene and stay behind in the office. We can do what HPD have been starting to do and wear body cams on our vest at all times so you can see everything that we’re seeing as we’re seeing it. It be just like you’re there with us.”

Danny smiled, turning his head so he could look at Tani, his heart twisting slightly when he noticed that her hands, which were resting against her sides, kept curling up into fists, loosening a moment later, before the routine would start all over again after a few seconds, indicating to him how distressed she was over the announcement he had made in the office earlier that week about his retirement from Five-O and the small fact today was his last day with them. It probably hadn’t helped that he had also dropped the bombshell when he had told them about his retirement that he was leaving Hawaii as well with no plans to return other than to visit them.

Mentally he kicked himself, he definitely could have handled the situation better than he had.

He stared at her face barely seeing her as he thought back to the past month of his life.

After his call with his mother had ended, he had sat on his couch staring into the distance, his mind racing through what she had said to him, trying to come at it from all possible angles until he had finally moved, realising that not only did he need to use the bathroom and have a drink but also that the sky outside had began to darken which would explain the added stiffness and pain to his joints.

Normally one of the team would be around his at that time but they had all agreed to Danny’s demand that he was given one evening to himself. He should have found their reluctance to comply with his wish comforting but instead it had been frustrating. It was bad enough dealing with what had happened to him, his injury which he now knew would affect him for the rest of his life and Steve choosing to leave him behind without a second thought, without adding the feeling in the pit of his stomach that the team thought that he was no longer capable of doing what he used to do.

He had made himself something to eat and sat at the table, pulling over one of the blank sheets of paper which were left on the surface for his son Charlie to use when he was around and struck by a colouring mood and had picked up a red and a purple pencil from the tray, drawing a line down the middle of the page and wrote in capital letters a pro column on the left and a con column to the right and began writing.

By the time he was finished he realised with a sinking heart and a strong sense of relief that the pro column toward him moving outweighed the con column, not by a large majority but by enough that his mother’s suggestion was looking more interesting with each passing moment.

He had gone to bed after that, dropping Rachel a message asking her to come over to his place the next afternoon around lunch time so they could talk before he had laid down and attempted to sleep.

Rachel had arrived promptly the next day exactly thirty minutes after Danny’s physical therapist had left adding to his growing belief that his ex-wife, who had somehow against all odds was becoming someone he was beginning to view as a friend, had his schedule memorised or written on a calendar somewhere.

He had allowed her to bustle around his home, raising an eyebrow when she entered the living room holding two mugs of coffee and a large plate of sandwiches which she placed on the coffee table and which she insisted that they shared since she hadn’t eaten yet, after they had each had one sandwich she had turned to him and asked him what was on his mind.

He had hesitated for a moment trying to figure out the best way of approaching it but soon the words had come spilling out and he had found himself telling her about his Uncle and the ranch and his mother’s offer to him about it. Rachel had remained quiet while he had spoken before she had leaned forward and pulled out her cell phone from her bag, opening up a fresh google search on it. Danny had stared at her but she had ignored him so he had simply shrugged and turned his attention back to the food, realising with a bolt of shock that he was still hungry even after one sandwich, something which hadn’t happened for months.

He had glanced back towards Rachel as she lowered her phone down to her lap and met his gaze, speaking the few words which he knew would change his life forever and which he realised he had been hoping that she would say.

“Okay Daniel, let’s give this a try.”

Danny had closed his eyes briefly, unable to wrap his head around the fact that Rachel had said yes without fighting him about it. Instead they were doing it, they were moving from Hawaii to Oklahoma, a place where Rachel had never been and he hadn’t been for years to live. A place which would allow him to experience the seasons once more and which was landlocked which meant no more beaches and no more fears of tsunamis striking.

The next stage had been to contact his mother and to get some more details of the ranch while letting her know that he was going to take her up on her offer. She revealed that it was nine hundred acres in Choctaw County and had two houses attached to the property. One which he would claim for himself, the second to be used by Rachel until she found herself somewhere nearby that she could move into. Having them both on the property would give them the added benefit of Charlie being only in one place as he adjusted to the dramatic change to his life.

Danny had no doubt that it would work well for them all.

Hearing that the property was nine hundred acres had taken Danny back but Clara had assured him that his Uncle’s old crew who had ran the farm for him for years, had remained on and would continue to work there, their wages for the next five years having been taken care of in his Uncle’s will.

After that there had only been the arrangements of selling their houses which had both sold within days of hitting the market and getting Charlie enrolled in a school in Oklahoma and breaking the news to the people in their lives that they were packing up and leaving.

Breaking the news to his team earlier that week that he was leaving and leaving on the upcoming Saturday hadn’t gone done well with them but they had come to accept it when he had told them his reasoning behind it.

All of it had led to this point, his last night in Hawaii, it was hard for him to believe that it was finally time to move but he knew deep down that it was the right thing. He couldn’t stay in Hawaii anymore, not with all the bad memories which were attached to the place which outweighed the good memories in his mind

“Yo, earth to Danny, are you still with me?”

He blinked, glancing down at Tani’s hand on his forearm before he looked back up, realising that she looked worried which meant that he had been locked away in his thoughts of the past for longer than he had realised.

“Sorry, I was a million miles away for a moment there.” He admitted, flashing a smile in her direction as he cast his mind back to what her original question had been. “While I appreciate the offer of you guys doing that for me Tani, it’s time for me to move on, that’s not to say I’m not going to be in your life anymore because I’m definitely am kid, it just going to be in a different role and through different means. There’s nothing stopping you from flying out to Oklahoma to come and visit me and Charlie and Grace if she happens to be there, it’s only an eight hour flight from here and you know you can stay as long as you want with us, there’s always going to be room for you there with us.” He promised her, reaching out and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, using the hold to reel her in so he could placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I know it’s a big change and one none of you saw coming but it’s the right thing for me to do.” He said softly.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to Oklahoma to run a ranch, I don’t think you could have picked anything more different to what you do now if you physically tried.” She said on a giggle though Danny noticed that her dark eyes looked wet under the bright lights.

“Me neither but it turns out that I’ve been looking for a change without realising it and now I’ve got it.” He replied with a shrug at her. “Besides I’ll be supervising the place, there is a team already working there who know what they are doing and they’ll be the ones to take care of the day to day stuff.”

“So, you’ll just be there delegating work to people is what you’re saying, we both know that you’re good at that.” She said cheekily, the comment causing him to laugh.

“Yep, one of the few talents I’ll take away from my time at Five-0, the ability to be able to delegate to others rather than do it myself.” He replied serenely before he gave her another kiss, this time on the forehead and released her. “What you doing hanging out with an old man like me anyway, go and hang out with the others, I’m not sure what it is that Quinn is talking about right now but Junior looks terrified by it.” He added, nodding his head towards the pair in question who were standing by the pool table.

Tani followed his gaze and laughed as she took in the scene.

“She does love tormented Junes.” She said in a fond tone before she looked back at Danny and jabbed her finger towards his chest though he noticed that she made sure not to make contact with him. “Don’t you even dare think about disappearing from this party early, you have to wait until I’m back.” She warned him, her eyes narrowing.

Danny held up his palms towards her in a peaceful gesture.

“Don’t go anywhere yet, yeah I’ve got it.” He assured her, a soft smile coming to his face when she turned and headed over to where Quinn and Junior were.

Danny sighed as he watched her.

He was going to miss her.

He raised an eyebrow when a voice spoke up from next to him.

“I’m surprised that you allowed the kids to throw you this going away party. I thought that you hated stuff like this and tried to avoid it at all cost, especially if you were in the main role in it.”

“I do hate them” Danny admitted as he turned to look at Lou Grover, wondering how the big man managed to move so quietly when it suited him. “But doing it for me meant a lot to the kids and if it helps keep them occupied then who am I to say no to it.”

“You’re a good man Danny, I’m going to miss you when you’re gone Brother.” Lou said, sounding surprisingly gruff as though he was holding back tears. The tone brought a smile to Danny’s face though he didn’t look towards the other man, knowing that Lou would want time to get himself back under control.

“As are you my friend, I’m leaving Five-0 in the best hands with you in charge.” Danny said, shifting slightly on the spot in an attempt to get comfortable. “Don’t tell anyone I said this but there will be aspects of Hawaii that I’m going to miss.” He smirked, shaking his head as he lifted the bottle of beer he was nursing and took a long sip of it.

“Your secret is safe with me.” Lou promised as he leaned back against the bar beside Danny. Both of them stood together in a comfortable silence before Lou spoke again, an almost hesitant tone to his voice which had been lacking before which placed Danny on edge. “Have you spoken to McGarrett about it all?” He queried.

Danny shook his head and looked at him, meeting the other man’s dark eyes directly.

“Spoken to him directly no, but I did leave him a voicemail to let him know what was happening. I would have preferred to have a conversation with him where we could have discussed it together but that would have meant that he would have had to pick up his phone and we both know that he isn’t doing that at the moment. He’s probably too busy seeing the world with Catherine to think about the people who he left behind him so easily.” Danny replied, picking up on the bitterness which flavoured his words but refusing to apologise for it.

If anyone had a right to feel bitter about what Steve had done then it was Danny.

“Hey, you’re preaching to the choir here Brother. I’m not sure what is currently going on in your boy’s head or why he is making the decisions which he is making but hopefully he’ll soon realise he’s made a mistake and come back here.” Lou commented.

“He’s not my boy anymore Lou.” Danny stated, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest that the words caused him, he raised an eyebrow at Lou when the other man snorted at him.

“You might be able to fool the kids into believing that lie Danny but we both know that McGarrett will always be your boy regardless of the stupid things he does.” Lou told him bluntly.

Danny looked away, his eyes scanning the crowd surprising to see just how people had turned up to his last minute goodbye party. The only people were missing were Rachel who had decided to stay at home with Charlie to make sure that they had everything they needed for their flight the next day, Grace who was on the mainland at her university and of course Steve who was god only knew where.   
“So” Lou said finally attracting Danny’s attention back to him. “What exactly are you most looking forward to about Oklahoma then? You haven’t actually said yet.”

Danny made a humming noise as he considered the question before he answered.

“Best thing about it will be the fact that I’ll be able to experience proper seasons again and so will Charlie. Hawaii is beautiful, I can’t deny that but it only seems to have two types of weather, hot and torrential rain. I miss being able to experience the cold man.” He told Lou who nodded at him, a look of longing coming to his face.

“I’m telling you now that I’m going to come and visit you when its Winter just so I can experience a cold one again and so I can see what so special about the Ranch in the first place. It’s got to be something special for you to be so eager to go.” Lou pointed out.

“I’ll send you some pictures once we’re arrived and settled in a bit so you can see for yourself.” Danny promised with a smirk before he turned serious. “You and Renee and the kids can come and visit us at any time, you don’t have to wait until the Winter to do so. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Tani, the door is always open and there is no expiry date, you can come when you want and go when you want. I’m not pulling a McGarrett here, if you call then I’ll answer and if I can’t pick up for some reason then I’ll make sure to call you back as soon as I can. As far as I’m concerned the important things won’t change, there just be a physical distance between us all which was lacking before.”

“I know it’s the best thing for you Danny, I’ve seen how much you’ve suffered since Steve left and after what happened to you but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s going to be hard not to see you in the flesh.”

“I’ll still come and visit Hawaii on vacation occasionally.” Danny said before he paused and frowned, shaking his head. “Which are words which I never thought I would say out loud so make sure you savour them. It’s a good thing that I’m going to Oklahoma because after saying that New Jersey would never accept me back into the ranks.”

Lou grinned at him.

“My lips are sealed on the matter but make sure that you do come back and visit here. You best make sure that you prepare the spare rooms as well because I wasn’t joking about coming to visit you, Renee and I have already booked our tickets for early December to come and see you.” He said, the comment causing Danny to grin.

“They’ll be ready.” He assured him.

“Is there anything you want me to say to McGarrett if he does come back to Hawaii and demands to know where you are because we both know that will be the first thing he asks when he realises that you’re gone.”

“That’s a big if there.” Danny replied before he shrugged. “Tell me where I am Lou, I really don’t care if he knows or not. It’s not a secret I’m keeping, if he ever bothers to listen to his voicemails then he’ll already know that I left the island. I love the man, I do because you can’t just throw away ten years or at least I can’t do that.” He amended in a wry tone. “But I’m done living my life based on his, Lou. Nearly every decision I’ve made over the past decade, I’ve always factored him into it and I think, for once, that it’s time that I made a decision solely based on what is good for me and not what is best for McGarrett. If he want to find me then he knows where I am. The ball is in his court but I am done playing a game by his rules which I have no interest in playing in again.” He admitted before breathing out nosily and running his hand down his face.

Lou remained silent as though he was considering what Danny had said before he slowly nodded at him.

“You got to do what is best for you and your kids.” Lou agreed.

“Exactly, I need to start living for me and not living for McGarrett.” Danny stated.

Lou opened his mouth to speak when Tani called across to them, her face alight with excitement.

“Danny, Lou, get your asses over here, we got you a cake, you didn’t think that we would let you leave without having one right”? She demanded.

“Who can say no to cake?” Danny called back as he reached to the side and picked up his cane, slowly limping over to where the others had gathered together. He came to a stop at the table and glanced down, raising an eyebrow when he saw that the cake was in the shape of a smiling Mermaid. “No prizes for figuring who picked out the cake I’m guessing?” He asked, looking up with a grin.

“It was the only one which they had left.” Tani said, clearly lying through her teeth while trying to maintain an innocent expression on her face.

“That’s what she claims anyway.” Adam Noshimuri commented, laughing when Tani shoved him.

“It was” She insisted.

“I love it.” Danny told her with a wink. “It reminds me of you.” He glanced around them and shook his head when he caught sight of the look in their eyes. “I know you probably want me to give a long speech or something but it’s not going to happen. All I’ll say is that I will miss each and every one of you and that you are always welcome to come out whenever you want to visit me on the Ranch, in fact I expect you to just like I expect daily or weekly phone calls from you all” He remarked with a smile. “Now let’s eat some cake.”

“I’m down for that.” Tani said as she picked up the knife which Danny was pretty sure that Quinn had produced from her belt, and began cutting the cake into slices.

Danny watched them joke about the size of the slices and demanding larger sized ones with a soft smile on his face as he slowly breathed in.

God he would miss them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, it much appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read, its much appreciated


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